Scourge of Angels: Chapter 2 – Two Kinds of Extreme

Chapter 2 – Two Kinds of Extreme

After hours of fighting and slaughters, my friends and I sit at the table of a high-rise restaurant as if nothing happened and we were still enjoying our day together. Our guardian angels haven’t told us to do anything new, nor have they told us we should leave the city yet. Stopping by the bar, I crack open a beer and watch the news as the report on what’s happening at Detlef, that we’re here, and that the Dominion is sending the Castigators after us. Ah, shit.

“This is it. You’ve outlived your purpose, and the Castigators be here,” the demons in my head say. “There is no escaping them now. Your sentence will be death, and your judgment will be Hell.”

“Maybe if we show the Castigators that there are still demons here, we can put our differences aside to fight a common enemy,” I suggest.

“I can try to take control of them with my green lightning so they can stay in place while we explain and show them why we’re right in what we’re doing,” Terah says.

“Are you both serious? This is the Castigators we’re talking about. As soon as they know who their enemy is, they shoot first and ask questions later,” Tanith says.

“What do you think we should do then? Just continue doing our business while trying to ignore or evade them?” I ask.

“I don’t know what we should do.”

“We can’t afford not to know what we should do at this point. We have to decide now,” Terah says.

“Let’s go with both my and Terah’s plan, and leave the rest to God. There’s nothing else we can do.”

Tanith and Terah agree. My guardian angel finally tells me where we should go, but when we fly to the location, we find ourselves face to face with the Castigators. Why?

“You’ll need their help in facing your common enemy. Wasn’t this part of your plan?” my guardian angel says.

I was planning to explain everything when we were fighting the demons and the cultists, not to confront them directly! The leader of the Castigators, Kane Mundr, steps off his bike with his wife and friend behind him. He’s dressed like a gunslinger with his crimson and black hoodie, snake on his white shirt in the shape of a chi rho, black cargo pants, and black boots. He smiles at us with his light blue and red eyes, which know the divine judgment of God and whether or not we deserve to live or die.

Walking to us, he says, “I’m glad you came to us, Council of Punishment. Have you grown a conscious and are you willing to surrender peacefully?”

I look to Kane’s left and see his friend Zandro, who is dressed in a simple hoodie and clothes that are colored half white and half black. On his right, I see Kane’s wife, Idelle Mundr, who is the sister of the legendary hero, John Elio. She’s wearing golden armor with a crimson bodysuit, has white and black eyes, black and blonde hair, and a white snake and black snake on her back. Both of them closely watch us, waiting for my response.

“Actually, I’d like to talk,” I say as I return to my normal form.

“Ha! About what? There’s nothing you could say that would save you from a jail cell or me gunning you down where you stand.”

“We have a common enemy, Kane. The demons and the cultists we’re after are in Detlef, and we’ve been killing and punishing them all day. This is what all this destruction is about.”

“Really? Because all I see is the death and destruction of everyone in this city, from a normal civilian to the homeless, to random businessmen and politicians, cops, and superhuman law enforcement. You people have a history of indiscriminately killing people everywhere you go.”

“If you looked deeper into it, you’d know most of those people were satanists and cultists.”

“I know many in Exquista Caro were and in Jewel, but Adamas, not so much, even though I appreciated you killing some really corrupt businessmen and politicians.”

“That’s all we do. We kill the corrupt and spare the few, who our guardian angels’ powers keep alive.”

“That’s the source of your power and true motive for this destruction? Guardian angels? You sure they aren’t devils? What am I saying? A man like you wouldn’t know the difference.”

“I do know the difference now that my guardian angel opened my eyes. All three of us do thanks to them!”

“I wouldn’t expect you to know the difference between a man and a woman, given your tastes.”

“I don’t need you bringing that up when my demons never stop talking about it. Please, Kane. We don’t need to fight.”

“Hmm. Let’s see what God thinks.” Kane manifests both his revolver and pistol. “Huh. I thought the result would be different. This is one of those rare times that both guns are out for my targets. Life or death. It’ll be your choice. Let’s see which you pick. I’m done talking.”

Kane raises his pistols, and his wife and friend bolt towards us as he starts shooting at us. I transform and fly between his bullets as I spray my fire at him with Tanith and Thaddeus, using their ranged attacks at the Castigators as they charge ahead with me. With my sword arms, I mean to disarm Kane, but his wife gets in the way, blocking my swords. Her snakes hit me with their heads and send me flying into the debris of a building. Oof. Now, I felt that.

Idelle sprints toward me at terrifying speeds and punches through the debris I’ve landed on as I dodge out of the way. She’s truly the sister of a legendary hero. I don’t stand a chance, so I knock the debris around to temporarily bury her in, emphasis on temporary, since it doesn’t slow her down from pursuing me for a second. Terah comes in with the save by surrounding Idelle with his green lightning, trying to strike her with it. Since I’m outmatched, I turn my attention to saving Tanith, who is being attacked by Kane and Zandro.

I shoot fire into the sky to break up the two-on-one fight and tackle Kane through the door of a locked-down sports stadium. Unphased by this, Kane shoots me with both guns, the bullets of which are blocked by fire that is coming out of my body. There are people in the stadium who are fleeing from our fight. Both of us try to take the fight elsewhere to avoid them, but our desire to put each other down keeps us in the area until we eventually find ourselves fighting in a sports bar and strip club within the stadium.

“We’re here. Go through the backstage area and find the basement,” my guardian angel says.

“Like I said before, Kane, we have a common enemy. Let me show you them,” I say.

Kane shoots and follows me as I do, as my guardian angel said. The basement stairs aren’t too hard to find, with Kane and me tearing apart the area with our fight. Going down the stairs with Kane hot on my trail, I find that I’m flying down into an all too familiar dark void that makes me stop. Turning around, I see that Kane is still behind me, but he’s stopped shooting and notices the same thing I have.

“My guardian angel has led us here to deal with the demons. Let’s put our differences aside to fight our true enemy,” I say as I transform back to my normal self.

“I’ll protect my children,” Kane says as he starts pointing his guns at something in the dark.

“Huh?”

“They won’t end up as Polina did, and she’ll never go through what happened to her again. Yes, I’m right to use violence the way I have. It doesn’t matter the kinds of extremists that have risen because of it. and all the lives I’ve taken and chaos I’ve caused. I know I’m right in what I did!”

He must be getting tempted, so I start praying for him and myself. Guardian angel, please protect both of us.

“I’m right behind you,” my guardian angel says.

“Fight them, Kane! This is our common enemy. Do you believe me now?” I say as I approach him.

Kane starts firing wildly into the air. I keep trying to get through to him, but it doesn’t seem like he can hear me. Nevertheless, I have a job to do, so I transform and start burning the area around me. A harsh pressure starts to overcome me as if a hundred people just landed on top of me.

“That man was your last chance at normality, at getting the life you wanted,” the demons say.

What I want is what God wants!

“You don’t believe that with your whole heart yet.”

“You’re still a novice.”

“Did you think you could fight your temptations after only starting to fight us for a few weeks? We have made stronger men sin, who have fought us their entire lives.”

Guardian angel, I need you here!

“Where is he?”

“Did he leave you again?”

“If he were truly helping you, you wouldn’t be tempted like this.”

“You’d have the strength to fight back against us by yourself, and yet, here you are cracking under the pressure.”

Please, my friend, I need you now! My flames are dying down, and my body is returning to its normal form.

“You were brought down here to die.”

“You brought the hero Kane here to die with you, and the world will suffer for it.”

“Your plan failed. You’ll always be an idiot who only thinks about himself.”

Please…please…the pressure is too much. It feels like they’re digging their sharp fingers into my head and every part of my body. Now…now…I don’t see the point in fighting anymore. Turning to Kane, who looks like he’s snapped out of what was bothering him, he points his guns at me, which have turned to revolvers. He’s confused at this sudden change, a distraction that I take advantage of as I charge him and grab his wrists.

“You were right! I don’t know the difference between angels and demons. All I want is to forever taste pleasures and thrills!” I say, unable to control my thoughts and words.

“You’re possessed now, you idiot. I heard you telling me to fight it, so why don’t you take your own advice?” Kane says.

“I don’t want to fight it anymore. It’s not who I am. When I’m done with you, I’ll go after your wife. Back on the exclusive island I was on, they’d cut off the limbs of the sex slaves of all ages so they couldn’t escape. I think I’ll do the same to her. Maybe I’ll even eat her limbs like chicken wings as they did back there.”

“Shut up! Get control of yourself, Thaddeus!”

“That man you were with was kind of cute as well. I know how to dress him up and make him look pretty enough to have fun with all night long!”

Kane headbutts me, knocking me away. He lights me with his revolvers until I fall unconscious.

“Thaddeus. Thaddeus!” I hear my guardian angel calling out.

Huh? Oh, no. I fell again, didn’t I? My guardian angel is the only person I see in the void around me. I turn away from him, ashamed of what I’ve done.

“You’re not dead yet. You have to get up!”

So I could just fall again? Why should I?

“You still have the opportunity to redeem yourself and make this right. You can do it! You’ve done it before.”

I turn back around to see my guardian angel extending one of his sword arms at me. I…I don’t know if I can even ask for forgiveness.

“Grab my arm. I’ll help you, but you need to meet me halfway.”

The darkness around me feels like a hundred arms holding me back. Still, I find the strength within and reach out to grab my guardian angel’s sword arm. Once I do, an explosion emanates from both of us, lighting up the darkness around us. With everything lit up, I see that not only Kane is here, but Tanith, Terah, Idelle, and Zandro are here as well. How?

“It’s all divine providence,” my guardian angel says.

In addition to my friends and the Castigators, I also have hundreds of people hiding here with the desecrated bodies of children and adults, along with satanic symbols on the walls and floors. My flames are keeping them trapped down here with us, as they panic to find a way out.

“There. Do you see that I’m right now?” I ask.

“Yeah,” Kane says, “I’m surprised that you’re back to your senses so quickly.”

“It’s all thanks to my guardian angel. Now, are you ready to fight our common enemy?”

Kane looks at the people in this basement, and his two revolvers transform into two pistols.

“I’m ready. Time to redeem yourself, degenerate.”

Together, the Castigators and the Council of Punishment burn and slaughter the cultists in this hidden basement. The cultists try to call their demonic masters for help, but with our forces and prayers combined, the demons don’t bother us at all and leave their worshippers to be killed. Once everyone is dead, my friends and I burn and destroy the rest of the stadium, while the Castigators clean up the remaining and fleeing cultists in the other parts of it. With that out of the way, Terah, Tanith, and I go back to the Castigators, who are standing outside the ruins of the stadium. We all turn back to our normal forms and start talking to one another: Terah with Idelle, Tanith with Zandro, and Kane and me.

“Does this make us friends?” I ask.

“Not in the slightest. I just consider you colleagues and believe you now. Actually, if I’m honest, we’re not too different in the ways we serve God, except you’re somehow way more destructive than us. The rest of the Dominion won’t take too kindly to that, so you’d better get out of here, while you still can,” Kane says.

I turn to my guardian angel, who says we still have work to do here, which I relay to Kane.

“Then, I’ll leave you to it and try to convince the Dominion to leave you alone,” Kane says.

“You’ll do that for us?!” I ask.

“No promises, and consider it your only favor I’ll do for you, given your history and what happened in the basement between us.”

“I understand. Thank you, Kane.”

Kane and I shake hands. We all say goodbye to the Castigators as they leave us to our task. Even though I feel exhausted, I also feel a weird sense of renewal, as if my repentance over my sins filled me with a new sense of boldness. Whatever it is, I thank God for His mercy and pray that I never fall again, but also that I always take the second chance when the opportunity arises.